Montana Kaimin ‘ ‘ QeYmin “Paper that brings news”
ARTS
OPINION
NEWS
SPORTS
Self-help help PAGE 12
Meme-able movies PAGE 21 Recruiting goes worldwide PAGE 7
Issue No. 15 January 30, 2019
Griz G.O.A.T PAGE 31
K I OSK | C L ASS IFIEDS & CONTE N TS ON THE COVER
PHOTO DONÁL LAKATUA, DESIGN DAYLIN SCOTT
Help Wanted
Multiple positions in three fields available! Seasonal jobs, full-time (mid-June through August) plus weekend shoulder season. -White Water Rafting Guide, Pay DOE -Outdoor Recreation Business Management Assistant, $10/hr plus tips -Rafting/Fishing Shop Logistics Assistants $10/hr plus tips Email adventuremissoula@gmail.com or call 406.813.0595!
$10 per hour- resources mapping and data entry for university based project. Need 3-4 self motivated individuals looking to make extra income on their terms; work remote, no set hours. For more information contact Nicole Camp at ncamp@mt.gov or call Brittany at 406-443-7664 for application paperwork. Please ask her for the LSOC position.
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For Rent Room for Rent in 4-bedroom house, washer/dryer, kitchen use, parking spot. One block from busroute, shared separate fridge. $550 and up, plus deposit. 406-360-7310
I NSI DE THE K AIM IN KIOSK NEWS PROGRAMMING EVENTS OPINION FEATURE MUSIC STYLE HOROSCOPES ARTS FOOD & PUZZLES SPORTS GALLERIES
NEWSROOM STAFF Editor-in-Chief Matt Neuman Managing Editor Cassidy Alexander Arts & Opinion Editors Drew Novak and Erin Goudreau The Montana Kaimin is a weekly independent student newspaper at the University of Montana. It does not condone or encourage any illegal activities. The Kaimin office and the University of Montana are located on land originally inhabited by the Salish People. Kaimin is a derivative ‘ ‘ of a Salish langage word, “Qeymin,” that is pronounced kay-MEEN and means “book,” “message,” or “paper that brings news.”
Sports Editor Henry Chisholm Multimedia Editors Sara Diggins and John Hooks Design Editor Zoie Koostra
For comments, corrections or letters to the editor, contact editor@montanakaimin.com or call (406) 243-4310.
Web Editor Savannah Sletten
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Features Editor Kailyn Mercer
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BUSINESS STAFF News Reporters
Melissa Loveridge, Sydney Ackridge, Jake Daly, Katie Lindner, Erin Sargent, Addie Slanger, Helena Dore, Cameron Kia Weix and Paul Hamby Arts & Opinion Reporters Noelle Huser, Emma Smith, Mazana Boerboom, Lily Soper Sports Reporters LJ Dawson and Skylar Rispens Multimedia Quinn Corcoran, Eli Imadali, Micah Pengilly, Kaden Harrison, Jiakai Lou, Daniel Duensing and Hunter Wiggins Designers Jackie Evans-Shaw, Lindsey Sewell, Daylin Scott and Halisia Hubbard Copy Editors Luke Smith, Connor Simpson, Lydia Mercier
Business Manager Patrick Boise Office Assistants Norbert Weber
O P I N IO N | E D I TOR I A L A N D LET T E R S
Instead of thinking big, let’s fix the little things at UM What if a 17-year-old prospective Grizzly had visited the University of Montana campus for the first time this January? Unless she was looking for a school with a dominant basketball team, it’s tough to believe what she might have seen around here recently would have won her over. The sidewalks were inchdeep puddles, the campus Wi-Fi and UMConnect emails stopped working. Somehow, there’s still asbestos in McGill Hall in 2019. These problems may sound trivial — except the asbestos — but to people who spend hours on campus every day, they aren’t.
It’s easy to look at prospective students as robots who are interested only in graduation rates, program rankings and class size, but the typical teenager may care more about the Food Zoo’s hours and the trendiness of the dorms than any of that. Maybe we’re making things more complicated than they need to be. Provost Jon Harbor said he wants to see more online classes offered during a meeting with the executive committee of the Faculty Senate this week. I took an online class once. It was alright. I wouldn’t say it was much better or worse than the classes I took in person.
BIG UPS & BACKHANDS Backhands to the companies that laid off hundreds of journalists this week. No, it’s fine, I love imagining working in the service industry for the rest of my life. Big Ups to the fact that in 1998, The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and he plummeted 16 feet through an announcer’s table. Backhands to everyone riding bikes and splashing me with their bike slush mud. Big Ups to free bus service keeping your feet dry. Socialism rocks. Backhands to broke ass January. We know it’s not your fault that all our Christmas money is gone, but we need to blame SOMEONE.
I definitely don’t see changing how many are offered as something that would significantly impact how I reflect on my time at UM. It’s important that the University considers how to improve the value of the education it offers, but it’s just as important to make sure students enjoy their time in Missoula. That means spending time upgrading things like campus infrastructure. Maybe the Wi-Fi troubles were a fluke we no longer need to worry about, but they made students’ lives more stressful. It’s also frustrating to tip-toe around mud puddles in the winter and dodge
uneven brick walkways on the Oval when the ground is dry. Just because there isn’t a metric that tells recruits the odds a business major who lives in Craig Hall will have to throw his socks in the dryer after his walk home from class, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. Let’s try cleaning up the little things.
LIKE IT? HATE IT? WISH WE WERE DEAD? Email us your opinions at editor@montanakaimin.com
LET T E R S TO T HE ED I TO R
Your Voice: inclusion of wind and gender The eastern half of Montana has consistently high wind speeds, and Montana is ranked fifth of the lower 48 states in terms of capacity for wind energy generation. Other states with similar wind capacities have been rapidly developing wind farms in the past couple of years to great success. Oklahoma has over 17 percent of its total electricity coming from wind, and Iowa has over 25 percent wind. Though Montana has the same capacity, we only get about 7 percent of our electricity from wind energy. Many of the coal plants that supply a good chunk of Montana’s energy will need to be decommissioned in the next couple of years, and there’s no smarter business move than investing in more wind energy right now. The wind we have installed right now is the cheapest per megawatt hour, less than half the price of coal-fired electricity. After initial infrastructure costs, the “fuel” for wind is free, and thus, over the course of its lifetime wind energy is now significantly cheaper than coal. It’s time for Montana to take advantage of this abundant natural resource, and we should encourage Northwestern Energy to include more wind in its 20-year plan.
The article on page four of issue No. 14 about parkour mentioned only that the young men were in town for the annual “Balls Jam.” The photos show only men and boys and the article doesn't mention the group being open to girls. Are there any females participating in parkour? Does the organization ever advertise that females are welcome to participate or is it exclusively for boys? As females excel in gymnastics and parkour appears to incorporate gymnastic skills, I was surprised to see the lack of girls in your photos, and no mention of young women in the article. Since the University has approved a course and a gym has been secured for the "selfish" reason of having a "place to train that was our own," could you clarify if this is an equal opportunity offering or not? The language in the article was vague, referring to the "athletes, kids and students.” Also, calling your annual gathering "Balls Jam" sends a strong message. -Carla Miller
-Rebecca Mathisen
montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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N E WS | M I SS ING MAS COT
Law students go moose hunting, foresters fight back ERIN SARGENT erin.sargent@umontana.edu Forestry students know a different type of finals week stress. The tension hanging in the air at the end of fall semester isn’t just about memorization and Blue Books. They all know it in their hearts: they will lose Bertha. Bertha is a name known throughout the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation. She is beloved by students and faculty alike. She is a figurehead for the department. She is also a moose. Well, just a moose’s head, to be exact. A female moose head, students have told me, with male moose antlers attached for a better effect. For most of the year, she hangs above the entryway to the forestry building until fall finals week, when students from the Blewett School of Law break in and steal her, mount her in the lobby of the law building and keep her until the School of Forestry’s annual Foresters’ Ball. “You know when Bertha goes,” said Austin Reed, a parks, tourism and recreation management major in the College of Forestry. “When Bertha’s gone, everyone knows about it because it’s on social media within a few minutes.” When I found out Bertha had been stolen, I needed to investigate. So early on the morning of Jan. 23, I walked into the forestry building, prepared to discover the truth. I saw immediately where Bertha was supposed to have been. Her majestic visage had been replaced with the “Robber Ducky,” a drawing of a rubber duck with a black mask, taunting the students of the forestry department since last December. I was able to get more information from the College of Forestry and Conservation communications director, Kasey Rahn. She
The W.A. Franke College of Forestry's moose head, affectionately named Bertha, hangs in the Alexander Blewett III School of Law atrium after its December kidnapping by law students. PHOTO HUNGER WIGGINS gave me a copy of the poem law students left with the Robber Ducky. She also gave me the contact info of the head of the Foresters’ Ball planning committee, Maggie Noriega. Noriega was quick to respond when I called her up, and she was able to fill me in on some of the logistics of this forestry-law feud. I called her on Boondocker’s Day, the day the deans from the schools of law and forestry meet for a little friendly competition: a log round toss in the middle of the Oval. But that wasn’t all. “Today, we’re gonna steal the law club
president,” she told me. “We put her in a wheelbarrow and take her over to the College of Forestry.” This, of course, is retaliation for Bertha. It was time for me to check out the law school. Entering the building, I finally saw her: Bertha. In all her female-moose-withmale-moose-antlers glory, hanging from the second floor stairwell. An icon. I wandered into the law office and met law registrar Maria Mangold. She told me a similar story – how stealing Bertha before the Foresters’ Ball had become a friendly tradition between the schools and how
it helped promote the ball. Like everyone else I talked to, she assured me there was no real malice among students from the two schools. I had been getting the clean-cut answers everywhere I went, but I wanted to know more. I wanted to know the nitty-gritty history of this kidnapping tradition. I had questions, and I needed to ask them. I needed to go to the source. In a crazy stroke of luck, a friend of mine told me her dad had been a law student at UM in the ‘90s, and his best friend was the one to orchestrate Bertha’s kidnap-
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January 30-February 5, 2019 montanakaimin.com
The "Robber Ducky" poster replaces Bertha, the moose head usually hanging in the lobby of the W.A. Franke College of Forestry. PHOTO DANIEL DUENSING ping during their junior year. So I got his number and called him up. Justin Starin was in his third year of law school at UM in 1999 when he heard the urban legend of law students stealing Bertha, but it had never been more than a story told between classes. Bertha hadn’t been stolen for years. A week before the Foresters’ Ball, Starin and his roommate snuck into the forestry building and took Bertha. They brought her back to the law school and bike-locked her to the stairwell. “This friend of mine had some connection with the radio station,” Starin told me. “So he called the radio station and said ‘Hey, we’re holding Bertha hostage,’ and then he issued some kind of demands.” They included tickets to the Foresters’ Ball and a six-pack of beer. Students from the two schools eventually decided to meet up for negotiations at the Iron Horse downtown, which at the time inhabited the old train station on Higgins’ north end – law students in suits and
foresters in flannels. It was there that the traditions as we know them today were born. Starin said they began planning the week leading up to the Foresters’ Ball together. “We literally sat down and scripted out how we were gonna have them capture our president,” he said. “It was completely planned with them.” When I told Starin that this tradition had carried on for almost 20 years, he said it was amazing. “It was just fun,” he said. “We didn’t know any of these people prior to this. I remember at the end of it, some law student ended up dating one of the foresters.” And it seems that is where law students and foresters stand today, recreating the events that unfolded almost two decades earlier, creating a tradition of inter-college community on campus. And all because a few law students got ballsy back in 1999 and stole a female-moose-head-withglued-on-male-antlers named Bertha. montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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NEWS | L AW FEE RAIS E
From left, leaders of the University’s Student Bar Association (SBA), Aaron Barker, Tyler Morgan, Summer Carmack, Angie Pancost and Calder Thingvold, discuss the memorandum the SBA and ASUM are trying to pass that would require law students to pay a different student activity fee than before. Law students could no longer seek funds from ASUM to make student groups. PHOTO ELI IMADALI
New proposal would raise law student activity fee HELENA DORE
helenamay.dore@umontana.edu Law students could pay $60 more for student activity fees due to a new piece of legislation being considered by the Associated Students of the University of Montana. These students are currently receiving funds and services from both ASUM and the Student Bar Association, a student government organization that describes itself as “the organized body of all enrolled students at the University of Montana School of Law,” on its website.
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montanakaimin.com
While other UM students pay almost $150 in student activity fees, law students pay just under $90 per year. Despite paying about two-thirds of the fee, law students receive all of the benefits the fee pays for. If passed, the agreement would raise the student activity fee for law students enrolled in seven or more credits by about $60 per year. This means that law students would be charged the same total amount as all other students, but 30 percent of the fee would go to the SBA and 70 percent would go to ASUM. According to the University census re-
ports, there were 224 students enrolled in the law school for fall 2018. This means ASUM would have received $23,520 from law students this year if the legislation were passed, a 75 percent increase. One group of students that ASUM and the SBA are hoping to reach are joint-degree students enrolled in the law school. Joint-degree students are seeking both law degrees and another degree. Under the current proposal, these students would have to pay the full ASUM fee plus the full SBA fee. This would result in a nearly $200 student activity fee payment each year.
N E WS | E N ROLLM E N T
Under the proposal, law students would also no longer be able to form student groups through ASUM. This is because only a portion of the student activity fee would be paid to ASUM. Student groups can still receive funding through the SBA. Both student government organizations fund student groups, host events and address student concerns. But while ASUM advocates on behalf of the student body at large, the SBA only represents law students. “For 100 years, the law school has had its own governing body,” SBA President Summer Carmack said. “We can do our own thing around here.” The proposal would resolve a years-long conflict between ASUM and the SBA over how to fairly divvy up fees. In 1969, the University Board of Regents decided that law students should not be re-
quired to pay the regular student activity fee. This was due to the fact law students are represented by two separate student bodies, something not experienced by other students. “Right now, it’s totally unequal,” ASUM President Alex Butler said. “This is probably the furthest along in the talks that we’ve ever come to.” Earlier last year, the exemption for law students was removed. Executives from the SBA and ASUM met for negotiations last summer and drafted an agreement. “I thought that we reached a fair deal,” Carmack said. “They [ASUM] do have strong opinions, and they do have valid points.” With hopes to end the long-lasting dispute, Carmack and SBA Vice President Tyler Morgan introduced the memorandum to the ASUM Senate in early December, but the Senate thought Carmack and Morgan needed more evidence to show that law students supported the memorandum. The Senate requested that Butler and the SBA gather more data from law students before giving a final ruling. Butler said there wasn’t much data at the time. This was because the Senate meeting was on short notice and it was the middle of finals week. “Right now we’re focused on how students are feeling,” Carmack said. Carmack, along with other SBA executives, put together a draft survey to gauge how law students feel about the proposal. “There’s a lot of uncertainty amongst ASUM,” Butler said. “We’re trying to really gauge how law students feel.” If the agreement passes, all law students except for those enrolled in a joint-degree program will be ineligible for ASUM student group funding. However, they will still be able to run for Senate and use all other other ASUM services. If the Senate does not pass the agreement, Carmack said it would be up to the next ASUM administration to approve another agreement. Every accredited law school has a Student Bar Association, she said. “I think [ASUM] wants to honor that 100-year-old tradition.” There is currently no date scheduled for the final ASUM ruling on the agreement, but it will likely be revisited by ASUM in the next couple months.
UM hopes to expand international recruitment ADDIE SLANGER addie.slanger@umontana.edu Early results from a market research study showed areas of potential growth in international recruitment for the University of Montana. Cathy Cole, UM’s enrollment chief, commissioned the study after being hired last fall. The goal was to pinpoint recruitment areas with high potential and capitalize on them. Cole recently received preliminary results and, among other areas, UM’s international recruiting market showed room for improvement. “We’re really looking at all the ways we can recruit and bring international students to our campus,” Cole said. “We have our international recruiter [back] for the first time this year.” The new international recruiter, Brigitta Lee, has focused most of her time in Southeast Asia thus far, Cole said. As enrollment at UM continues to decline, so does the number of foreign students at the University. While previous budget issues resulted in the University cutting its only international recruiter in early 2017, the problem also may lie in the desired field of study for international students. According to a study by Brookings Institute, more than 60 percent of international students enroll in STEM programs for their bachelor’s or master’s degrees. The marketing firm’s analysis told Cole that UM had more of a “softer sciences” appeal. “[The report showed] students have come to us if they want majors in the social sciences or the liberal arts,” Cole said. “That was helpful to know. That helps me determine what kind of messaging I can use.” Cole said she has been working with Provost Jon Harbor to employ faculty traveling overseas to aid in recruitment. As of yet, there are no other definitive plans to grow the international recruitment program. UM may partner with a recruitment company in the future, but that’s “not really close enough to talk about yet,” Cole said. “We really do offer [international students]
Cathy Cole in Brantly Hall on Aug. 22, 2018. PHOTO SARA DIGGINS something they can’t get any place else. Once we can communicate that effectively, in the international marketplace, I know that the students will come here.” In an attempt to clarify specifically what UM offered international students that they couldn’t receive elsewhere, Cole did not respond to four phone calls, an email and a text message from her secretary. The market for international students is a lucrative one. Sixty percent of international students fully fund their own education, according to a 2018 study done by the Migration Policy Institute. The same study found that international students contributed $39 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2017-2018 school year. International students also tend to retain at a higher rate, Cole said. Retention is another area where UM hopes to improve. Only 46 percent of freshmen who enroll at UM will graduate, according to Department of Education statistics. Cole said she doesn’t have the exact date she’ll receive the rest of the conclusive study results. montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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N E WS | STU DENT LIFE & P OLICE B LOTTE R
Recycle that punch card: UM coffee operations switch to app KATIE LINDNER
katie.lindner@umontana.edu Punch cards are being replaced by an app rewards system at all UM Dining coffee operations on campus. Flok, a rewards app available for iOS and Android, was introduced to all campus coffee locations in November. Its use has really started picking up this semester, according to UM Dining Marketing and Communications Manager Trail Bundy. To use it, customers download the app, go to a coffee location on campus and scan the QR code a barista provides. After nine punches, the 10th coffee is free; this includes espresso drinks and specialty drinks. According to Bundy, 175 people were using the app on Jan. 23. “Our goal with this program is to have 20 new members every week. We have met that so far this semester and we continue to grow,” Bundy said. “We just want to ensure that throughout all of our operations, we have a sustainable focus in our business practices.”
Katie Helms, manager of several of the coffee shops on campus, said the app is a push toward sustainability. “Rather than having the customers that do have smartphones continuing to use punch cards, kind of move toward the app so we are being a little less wasteful,” Helms said. For those who don’t have smartphones or don’t want to use the app, paper punch cards are still available at all campus coffee locations. Bundy said another reason behind the switch is to make earning rewards more convenient for customers. “It’s hard to keep track of your paper cards. They end up in the bottom of your car and purse and suddenly, you have 10 of these coffee cards hidden,” Bundy said. “We just want to find one way, one platform to get all of your punches on one application.” Bundy began looking into switching to online rewards in June 2018. It took some time to make sure the app would be welcome, he added. “This is only the beginning for Flok,” he
said. “We plan on expanding this throughout the semester and doing some promotions.” Additional perks will be offered to those who use the app, Bundy added. Helms said it seems like a lot of students are interested in being more sustainable, so most reactions to the app have been positive. Information is posted on the app for customers who have questions about specials, hours of operation or where the shops are located. Customers can provide feedback through the app as well. UM coffee operations has six locations on campus, including the Market in the UC, Biz Buzz in the Gallagher Business building, Sidebar in the Alexander Blewett School of Law, Le Peak in the Corner Store, Recess in the Phyllis J. Washington Education Building and Think Tank above Urey Underground Lecture Hall. Dennis Creel, manager of the Market, said Flok is a tool for moving forward. “Everybody has a phone, and it’s a great way to keep your coffee card tallied up. It’s the 21st century, you know,” Creel said.
Dennis Creel, director of the Market, shows off the Flok app on his smartphone. The application is new to campus and acts as a punch card system for those buying coffee on campus. PHOTO DANIEL DUENSING
Some usual, and some unusual, suspects PAUL HAMBY
paul.hamby@umontana.edu
KAILYN MERCER
kailyn.mercer@umontana.edu JAN. 14: ALL BARK, NO BOMB After a handgun magazine was discovered at Sentinel High School, University of Montana police aided city officers by sending in the bomb squad: a black lab named Ruger, and his handler. The good boy made a quick sweep of the locked-down school and found nothing. Students returned to classes the following day.
JAN. 16: ABER REEFER-AL A certain scent prompted a visit from the conduct referral fairy. Despite several attempts by the Aber Hall RA to make contact
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with the suspected source, their door stayed shut. Hard to comprehend the logic there. RAs do know your names, you know that, right?
JAN. 17: UNCHAINED MALADY A bike was stolen near the Broadcast Media Building when its cable lock proved futile against the thief’s efforts. Pro tip: don’t use a goddamn cable lock. Pro tip again: who’s still riding bikes in the snow? Buses are free in Missoula.
JAN. 20: POM-POM FACE-PALM
Two parents had a little too much spirit, or spirits, at the Glam Jam cheerleading tournament at the Adams Center. When other audience members complained to security, they decided to leave the cheering to the professionals.
JAN. 21: TRIPLE KILL UMPD arrived to a University Villages apartment after receiving a noise complaint. “They were just bouncing around,” UMPD Sgt. Brad Griffin said. After investigating, they
found three bouncers under 21, beers-in-hand. All three received minor-in-possession citations.
JAN. 22: THE HAUNTING HONDA A University Villages resident called police after seeing two people sitting in a parked Honda, menacingly. Officers arrived shortly after, but could not locate any suspicious characters, or their sedan. Apparently, the worst thing about them was owning a Honda.
JAN. 22: COLOMA CAPER UMPD did a sweep through the University Village apartments after another resident complained about a pot smoker somewhere on premise. The culprit covered their tracks a little too well for University police. The only consequence they’ll deal with is the guilt of disappointing their parents with their illegal drug use.
P ROGRA MMIN G | W H AT W E ’ R E WATC H I N G
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Two new docs expose the morons responsible for Fyre Fest MAZANA BOERBOOM
mazana.boerboom@umontana.edu
Fyre Festival founder and currently-incarcerated Billy McFarland took procrastination, disorganization and bull-shitting to a level even a student couldn’t pull off in the fraud that broke headlines in spring 2017. The failure inspired Netflix and Hulu to dive into exactly what went wrong with a pair of documentaries released this January. Netflix’s “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” and Hulu’s “Fyre Fraud” each took part of the picture and did it justice. However, neither tells the whole story. So which one is worth your precious time? The festival, held on the Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas and co-founded by has-been rapper Ja Rule, was supposed to be the pinnacle of a millennial’s ideal lifestyle. The promo video promised beautiful beaches, gorgeous models, luxury living and the best musical artists. What it delivered was a gravel construction site, soggy mattresses and repurposed FEMA tents. “Fyre Fraud” is more interested in the crook behind the catastrophe, including one-on-one interviews with McFarland and exposing a man obsessed with the lifestyle of the one percent. The film’s line-up of experts in psychology, reporting and social media (among others) analyzes McFarland’s motives and the “FOMO” (fear of missing out) mindset of youth that
COURTESY PHOTO NETFLIX made the festival appealing and ultimately drove it into a ditch. “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” took a different approach. Rather than focus on McFarland, Netflix instead interviewed several people who worked closely with him during the festival’s inception. They shared stories of their futile attempts to put the festival together. Anxiety of its eventual failure was palpable throughout the interviews. Netflix’s buildup to the big event was rapturous, but it lost me in the last 15 minutes. Sappy inspirational music played while interviewees waxed poetic about how McFarland needs to be held accountable, but surely he’ll be back.
Hulu kept on track by showing McFarland’s newest business venture: teaching other inmates music entrepreneurship and concluding with an ominous statement: “It’s a great time to be a conman in America.” We’ll likely never get the complete picture of what happened behind the scenes, but watching both films gets you pretty close. For viewers looking for a more in-depth look at the making of the festival and the people behind it, “FYRE” is the film of choice. For viewers hoping for a more analytical take on it all and a cautionary tale of getting in way over your head, “Fyre Fraud” is the way to go.
The 45th president: ‘What a fuckin’ story’ ELI IMADALI
eli.imadali@umontana.edu
It’s Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The sky is overcast as the words of President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration echo throughout America. The New York Times’ newsroom is buzzing: phones are ringing, reporters are typing and journalists are glued to the screen watching history unfold. “Wow,” says Dean Baquet, executive editor of The Times. “What a story. What a fuckin’ story.”
The president is sworn in, gives his uncharacteristically dark inauguration speech, and it’s official. Trump is number 45. “Okay, let’s go!” says Baquet. The beginning of what will become historic and challenging coverage for the “Newspaper of Record” is here. This was the opening scene of “The Fourth Estate,” a four-part documentary series by director Liz Garbus, produced by Showtime. The series intimately follows The New York Times and its reporters and editors, from the newsroom to Air Force 1 to their homes, as they cover the Trump presidency. “The Fourth Estate” immediately drew me in,
more than almost any other show I’ve watched. I’m certainly not impartial – it is about journalists, and I am a journalist – but I found it intoxicating. The bustle of the newsroom and the feeling of watching the first draft of history being vigorously deliberated and written, particularly while we are living it, was incredible and nerve-wracking. In an era of heightened media distrust, attributable in part to the 45th president, this series brings some much-needed transparency to the process of one of the industry’s most prestigious newspapers. “The Fourth Estate” is available to watch on Showtime, Hulu, YouTube and other streaming services. montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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EVEN TS | C A LENDAR
Events January 30 - February 6 Wednesday 30 Work by the artists at the Clay Studio of Missoula are featured at the Daily Interactions exhibit in the first floor gallery in the Social Sciences building. Exhibit runs through Feb. 7. Free. Learn more about fighting money in politics at the public library at Chili & Speak Out. Discuss and learn about Montana’s effort to reverse the Citizens United decision. 6 p.m. Laugh with or at the folks willing to get on stage at the Revival Stand-Up Comedy open mic at the Badlander. 7:30 p.m. Free. Come early to get in on the Women’s Comedy Workshop, open to all women and nonbinary people looking to improve their act or talk about funny stuff. 6 p.m. For trivia buffs, hit up either Brains on Broadway at the Still Room at 7:30 p.m. or Trivial Beersuit at the Press Box at 8:30 p.m. Orgone’s gritty funk and soul bring some West Coast rhythm to the Top Hat. All ages. Doors at 8:30 p.m. $15. Vodka RedBull works wonders for Kraptastic Karaoke at the Badlander. 10 p.m. Free.
Thursday 31 Fancy yourself part of the upper crust? Lake Missoula Tea Company has you covered with its monthly Tea Tasting and Talk. This edition will focus on the rituals that go into making the world’s favorite caffeinated beverage, be it Chinese tea shar-
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ing, Japanese matcha or a classic British cuppa. Don’t forget: when in doubt, pinky out. Lake Missoula Tea Company at 136 E. Broadway. 6 p.m. Get down your fiddle and get down your bow. Open mic night at Green Alternative Dispensary. 314 N. 1st St. W., near Northside Kettlehouse. 7 p.m. DJs Kris Moon and T-Rex bring electronic dance tunes to Party Volcano, the latest incarnation of Dead Hipster, at the Badlander. $1 vodka all night. 10 p.m. 21+. No cover.
Friday 1 First Friday! Head downtown for a variety of Missoula’s monthly arts and culture experience. See works by local artists like painter Abbey Moore, space landscaper Robin Dobbe and photographer Geoffrey Paul Taylor. Honestly, there’s just too much stuff to see for us to print. And hey, most exhibitions serve free wine. 5-8 p.m. Free.
Saturday 2 Time is an infinite loop, never-ending and kind of a slog. But Bill Murray is amazing. And “Groundhog Day” is peak Bill Murray. Can you handle a day-long marathon of one of the funniest movies of all time? What if it meant winning a year of free movies — and free popcorn? That’s worth spending a Saturday at Missoula’s finest local theater, right? The Roxy Theater at 718 S. Higgins Ave. $20 for the day or $8 for a single screening. Check the Roxy’s website for showings.
Critical darling LP will be stopping in Missoula on her Heart to Mouth tour in support of her latest album, coincidentally titled “Heart to Mouth.” She’s written songs for Cher, Rihanna, the Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera. How can you miss that? By the way, we have a one-onone Q&A with the musician in this very issue. (Check that out on page 19.) The Wilma at 131 S. Higgins Ave. 8:30 p.m. $25-$35.
are $6 too, so don’t forget yours at home.
Sunday 3
Tuesday 5
Baseball is allegedly America’s favorite pastime, but everyone knows football is where it’s at. We all love pigs in a blanket and cheese dip, but skip the clean-up and head to The Union Club for some Super Bowl fun. P.S.: free pool all day. 208 E. Main St. Party starts at 3 p.m. Kick-off is at 4:30. 21+. Or head to the UC Theater at 4 p.m. for pregame food and fun. Free.
The Craicers and Friends bring traditional Irish music to Imagine Nation Brewing each Tuesday. 6-8 p.m. All ages.
Karaoke at the Kaimin’s bar of choice, the Union. Every Monday from 9 p.m. 21+. If you need some soul to round out your Monday, head to Motown on Mondays at the Badlander. Featuring classic and new remixes of Motown, soul, funk and disco. 9 p.m. 21+. Free.
Dust off the banjo you found at that pawn shop and head to Montana Distillery for the picking circle. 6-8 p.m. every Tuesday. All ages.
Center yourself with some hair of the dog. Yoga and Cider at Western cider. 10:30 a.m. $10 covers class and one cider.
Warm up your soggy brain for Trivia Tuesdays at the VFW each week. 8-10 p.m. Drink specials on domestic tallboys, well drinks and Fireball. 21+.
If you’re more jagerschnitzel than yoga, check out Brunch and Biers at Missoula’s German brewery and eatery, Edelweiss Bistro at Bayern Brewing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Wednesday 6
Monday 4 Tune up your zither and head to Open Mic Night at Imagine Nation Brewing. Every Monday from 6-8 p.m. Live Music Mondays at Conflux Brewing starts each week at 6 p.m. Growler fills
Feeling competitive? Got a sick free throw? Check out the intramural 3-Point and free-throw competition at the Rec Center. Free for students. Check for registration details online. Women’s climbing night at the Rec Center rock climbing wall. Get belay certified and climb. $5 includes gear and personalized instruction. 9-10:30 p.m. All levels of experience welcome.
E VEN TS | C A LENDAR
Top 4 Events: Comedy, tea, art and LP WE DNESDAY, JAN . 30 Laugh with or at the folks willing to get onstage at the Revival Stand-Up Comedy open mic at the Badlander. Hosted by local comedy mainstay, Charley Macorn. 7:30 p.m. Free. Come early for the Women’s Comedy Workshop, open to all women and non-binary people looking to talk funny stuff. 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 31 Fancy yourself part of the upper crust? Lake Missoula Tea Company has you covered with its monthly Tea Tasting and Talk. This edition will focus on the cultural tea rituals, be it Chinese tea sharing, Japanese matcha or a classic British cuppa. When in doubt, pinky out. 136 E. Broadway. 6 p.m.
FR I DAY, FE B. 1 First Friday! Head downtown for a variety of Missoula’s monthly arts and culture experience. See works by local artists like painter Abbey Moore, space landscaper Robin Dobbe and photographer Geoffrey Paul Taylor. Honestly, there’s just too much stuff to see for us to print. And hey, most exhibitions serve free wine. 5 - 8 p.m. Free.
S AT U R DAY, FE B. 2 Critical darling LP will be stopping in Missoula on her Heart to Mouth tour in support of her latest album, coincidentally titled “Heart to Mouth.” She’s written songs for Cher, Rihanna, the Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera. Read our Q&A with the musician on page 19. The Wilma. 8:30 p.m. $25-$35.
Butterfly Herbs will host “Pentimenti” by Erin Langley on First Friday. PHOTO ERIN LANGLEY
K A I M IN CO M IC
COOPER MALIN montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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O P I N I ON | MENTAL HEALT H
Does your business have daily specials or student discounts?
GRAPHIC LINDSEY SEWELL
Need help self-helping? Look no further.
Reach an army of Coupon Kings and Queens by advertising your deals in the Kaimin. Email ads@montanakaimin.com. 12
January 30-February 5, 2019 montanakaimin.com
Look at you. You’re crying. Why? Take a look at your life. Why wouldn’t you be crying? It’s OK, crying is cathartic! But you probably want to stop crying before you need to leave the house again, don’t you? That’s what I thought. So, here’s what you do. 1. Do some yoga. The easy shit. Downward dog. Did you fall? Of course you did. Now you’re crying on the floor. This isn’t going well. I’m sorry. Maybe try some yoga on the floor? 2. Now you’re laughing at yourself! That’s an improvement, right? Keep laughing. Don’t start crying again because you’ve remembered you were sad and fell down during yoga. Seriously, no, stop crying. Just laugh again? Please? 3. This yoga thing isn’t working out. Do you have any candles? Light them. The flames will calm you down. 4. Grab your Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer tea, sit down and watch that candle burn. Remember the boy who dumped you in eighth grade at Jessica’s birthday party and then kissed Jessica in front of you while “Check Yes Juliet” was playing? 5. The candle is a metaphor for his house. 6. Alright, now you’re angry. That’s cool, anger
is better than sadness, yeah? Yeah. But now you want to punch stuff, but you can’t lose your damage deposit because you’re really poor and honestly that’s probably why you were crying in the first place. Shit. 7. Uh… OK, here’s what you’re gonna do. Drink more Tension Tamer tea! I’m sure it’s clinically proven and FDA approved to treat rage and a multitude of other ugly emotions that you feel all the time, like being jealous of Jessica a decade after the fateful day that obviously ruined your life. 8. The anger has overwhelmed you. You have transcended mortal rage into god-like fury. 9. Now that you’re a god, you should probably stop crying. None of your subjects will respect you if your tears are spilling all over them from the great heights you’ve now reached as a celestial being. You’re large enough to destroy cities. And Jessica’s house. Your crippling debt can’t affect you now. 10. Alright, stop fantasizing. You’re no god. You don’t want all that responsibility anyway. Sounds hard. You couldn’t handle that. You can’t even handle yoga.
11. Wait a minute. Yes, you can handle it…The answer is corpse pose. It has always been corpse pose. 12. Here’s what you’re gonna do. Lie back on the floor. Flat on your back, arms at your side, palms up, fingers separated. Breathe. Focus on breathing into your belly, not your shoulders. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Stay still. 13. Close your eyes, picture your house. Not the one you live in, but the one you want. Picture the angry, hurtful thoughts whispered in your head floating away. Use your mind and your powerful thoughts against your anxiety. Focus. 14. Keep breathing. Wiggle your fingers first, then your toes. Your negative feelings aren’t permanent. Everything will be OK. I mean, look at you! You’re doing yoga!
KAILYN MERCER
kailyn.mercer@umontana.edu
O PIN IO N | COLU M N
Sure, befriend your professor. Just don’t sleep with them If you’re still friends with your high school teachers, either you were a kiss-ass or they were creepy. Is that dickish? Perhaps. But riddle me this: if your teacher is so cool, why can’t they find friends who are legal adults? In college, the situations are more nuanced. Maybe you’re a nontraditional or graduate student and there isn’t even an aggressive age difference. You might be older than your professor. Maybe your kids go to the same daycare. In this case, who am I to judge? Well, I’m judging anyway. Admittedly, the Helena School District has, like, a record number of creepy teachers, and I grew up with a minor complex. Because of that, when I hear about my peers in their early 20s hanging out with their professors, I get a weird vibe. Before finding out whether or not professor-student friendships are inappropriate, however, let’s define “friendship” in itself. Personally, I’m friendly with a few of my professors. After three years in the same program — especially in something like creative writing where oversharing is the name of the game — you get to know each other. Office hours go from a place to discuss your grade to a place to gossip, discuss politics, your future or their future, your friends and family and adorable dog, Otis. But would I text them asking to wander around Kohl’s with me, or to complain about my boyfriend’s inability to put the toilet seat back down? Probably, if I had their phone numbers, but for some reason
GRAPHIC JACKIE EVANS-SHAW I’ve never gotten a professor’s digits. So where does it get weird? Where it always gets weird. Sex. If there’s a chance you want to bang your professor, get a new professor. If there’s a chance your professor wants to bang you, get a new professor but at twice the speed. “But Lily, we’re both consenting adults,” I hear you say. And maybe you are. Doesn’t matter. Don’t bang your professors. And if your professor tries banging you, email me, and I’ll punch that professor in the face. There’s no conceivable way to have a fully
consensual relationship between a teacher and student due to a little problem called “power imbalances.” Once I had this gorgeous French TA who was only two years older than me (I think he was gorgeous, but in retrospect he may have just been French and tall). I thought about going for it, but didn’t. Why? Well for starters, because he had a girlfriend and was not interested in me sexually. But beyond that, I didn’t make a move because he was my direct superior. And because I’m pretty sure my classmates got sick of my failed attempts at flirtation
while they were trying to learn the subjunctive tense. At the end of the day, if you are friends with your professors, more power to you. They’re pretty damn cool people. But if you want to bang them, please don’t. Or, at least, wait until they aren’t responsible for uploading your grades to Moodle.
LILY SOPER
lillian.soper@umconnect.edu
montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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PHOTO DONAL LAKATUAA
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Halsey Kordonowy and Joshua Bacha chat on the steps of the Union Ballroom on Oct. 20 at Ghost Carrot Record fest PHOTO DONAL LAKATUA In the ‘90s, the smell of smoke and stale booze welcomed a tight-knit group of music lovers into Jay’s Upstairs, a hole-in-the-wall Missoula dive bar and music venue. For as many women who seemed to be hanging around, very few of them were playing in bands. It wasn’t talked about much, maybe because it wasn’t thought about much. The guys were the music geeks and musicians and the girls groupies and girlfriends. You got into a band by being invited, and dudes invited more dudes. Kia Liszak, 20 at the time, was fed up. She and her girlfriends locked themselves in a garage, picked up instruments they didn’t know how to play and left the garage as “Sasshole.” As the only girl punk band in town, the group’s audiences focused on its gender and commented on its looks more than its music. Liszak kept at it, though, because she knew she wanted to normalize female and nonbinary people playing rock music. Although Liszak made great strides, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to Missoula’s music scene. Now 43, Liszak directs the Zootown Arts Community Center, where she started a girls rock camp four years
ago for ages 7 to 16. The girls are encouraged to play without being told how to play, forming their own bands and writing original songs. Instructors are strong female role models like 18-year-old Erin Szalda-Petree, the lead singer and guitarist of Carpool, a vibrant band of Hellgate High indie-pop rockers. The girls are given “the space to be as noisy and loud as they want to be”, said Szalda-Petree. “Giving them that opportunity to wail on the instruments is so beneficial to their confidence.” At the end of the camp, they perform at the Top Hat, a coveted Missoula venue that many local bands strive to play. Before the 2018 fall showcase, the girls buzzed around the bar’s green room, giggling about their nerves and discussing their emotions: excited, hyper-confident. They gave each other words of encouragement before taking the stage as the Golden Unicorns, Divine Devils and the Vibrations. When they weren't playing, they flooded the front row, jumping up and down, cheering for each other. It’s enough to give a Sasshole hope. “I really do think it’s going to change the scene
Erin Szalda-Petree sings during Carpool’s set during the Winter Formal, held at Free Cycles on Jan. 25. PHOTO SARA DIGGINS dramatically,” Liszack said. “They are formulating at a young age such a different idea about it.” She hopes the confidence displayed on the Top Hat stage will remain through their teen years. But when they are lugging their guitar cases into their college dorms, will they still be supported and respected playing the music they want? The Missoula music scene is still mostly run by men and lacking diverse representa-
tion. There are underlying currents of sexism that remain, and women still feel patronized by their male counterparts. The environment surrounding DIY music, a culture that prides itself on being accepting, can still feel exclusive to anyone but cisgender white men. Halsey Kordonowy was 21 in 2016 and regularly attending shows in Missoula. Like Liszak, she grew tired of watching. Her friend Karlie Efinger, 24 at the time, invited her to start a punk band called “Moss Mouth.” The montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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Maria Zapeda plays guitar and sings at Imagination Brewery on the evening of Dec. 1 as part of the December Women Crush Music showcase. PHOTO SARA DIGGINS reaction to the band’s shows was similar to what Sasshole endured: Kordonowy said the people who attended seemed to be interested in Moss Mouth not because of their talent but simply for the fact that it was the only all-female punk band in Missoula. Even before the band’s sound was fully cultivated, it got an offer to play at the Union Ballroom, opening for the Screaming Females, a big-deal punk rock band from the East Coast. As honored as Moss Mouth was,
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January 30-February 5, 2019 montanakaimin.com
the band felt it only got the gig because it was all-women. “People didn’t give a shit about how good we were or how bad we were,“ Kordonowy said. The band stayed together long enough to play the show but fell apart shortly after. Kordonowy has since formed a new project, Tomb Toad, with 24-year-old Joshua Bacha, a member of a local psych rock band Charcoal Squids and the founder of Ghost Carrot Records, a DIY record label.
She’s slowly regaining confidence in her bass playing, but her past experiences plague her with imposter syndrome. She still wonders if she’s only treated a certain way by a crowd because she’s playing with a male musician established in the scene. “The difference of how someone treats you before you go onstage and how someone treats you after … plays into the whole gender thing,” said Elizabeth Taillon, 28, who plays guitar and sings in the pop punk band Go Hibiki. She and her male bandmates were setting up for a show at the Kettlehouse Brewery when a man approached her and asked if she was any good at guitar. “It’s so stupid and laughable,” she said. “I have had to work harder than my male bandmates in order to establish this baseline of respect.” Ask just about any musician who is a woman in this town and you’ll hear echoes of what Taillon dealt with at the Kettlehouse. Emily Silks, the drummer in four different local bands, says she felt isolated when she started playing music in Missoula because female musicians, especially drummers, were scarce. She noticed people commenting on her gender, rather than her skill. At Ghost Carrot Record Festival, a DIY music festival at the Union Ballroom in October, someone told her she was “so powerful as a female drummer.” It was well-intentioned, but she didn’t see it that way. One of Silks’ bandmates, Molly Buchanan, 24, is the steadfast leader of art-rock band Tormi. She had to cut ties with another musician after he expressed sexual feelings for her while he was recruiting her to play music with him. Bands, venues and show organizers are still grappling with how to deal with abusers. Julia Burkhart, a 19-year-old performance poet who has been sneaking into shows since she was 16, said there are still plenty of predatory men. She said known sexual abusers still seem to be included in the community, which can especially make women and genderqueer people feel unsettled and triggered. She also said DIY music can be a niche culture that feels unwelcoming to people who aren’t straight, white cisgender men in the same way “craft beers feel unapproachable to non-hipsters.” She has heard racist and homophobic slurs at different venues in Missoula and said people in attendance at shows should consider their behavior and word choice. They can start by using gender-neutral vocabulary and
respecting people’s pronouns. “If someone misgender[s] me, I hold them accountable,” she said. Burkhart's friend Chloe Sky Dittloff, 19, said the music scene has been working to be more queer-inclusive, but needs to make the same effort with racial diversity. Dittloff is a Blackfeet photographer and poet who grew up in Missoula and isn’t afraid to tell Burkhart if a venue feels “too white.” “Missoula has a very large Native American population, but it’s very poorly represented in the music scene,” Dittloff said. Dittloff believes that white people usually only talk to other white people out of comfort. Not all Native Americans are urban, many grew up on reservations, only talking to other Native Americans, and they might have prejudice issues against white people themselves. “I know when I was younger I definitely did,” Dittloff said. “It's a matter of empathy and the imagination it takes to at least start understanding another person's lived experience.” The music industry is still white male-dominated — from music instructors and music store employees to sound engineers, bookers and promoters. The same voices decide who gets to be amplified on stage, resulting in a homogenous makeup of genres and performers. Basically, it’s a lot of local, white-dude bluegrass, funk and psych rock. “I just book the people who hit me up, the majority of which are male, and that is just because of how the industry works,” says Joshua Bacha of Ghost Carrot Records. Josh Vanek, who organized Total Fest music festival for 15 consecutive years, disagrees. While working with women organizers on the festival, he became more aware of their audience and more intentional in his booking. Together, they had to ask the simple question, “Does this represent what we want the world to look like?” “Even if 97 percent of the submissions are dudes, you have to go out of your way to find bands that aren’t just dudes,” he said. Dan Redinger, 25, lives in a punk house venue called Flavortown. He’s been throwing house shows in Missoula for the past few years and claimed Flavortown has the most diverse lineups out of any previous venues he lived in. But regarding what groups of people are coming to their shows, Redinger said, “There are a bunch of punks, I’m not going to say anything about gender because I guess I’m not aware or paying attention.” If a venue is majority male and majority
white, onstage or off, then there is probably something making others uncomfortable, and toxic or exclusive behavior that needs to be addressed. “Curiosity in other people's interests defends against stagnation,” Dittloff said. The more people involved, the more perspectives you get. This is the sentiment behind Women Crush Music, an online networking agency started in Portland, Oregon. It serves as a platform for women and genderqueer people in music to help one another set up shows. Maria Zepeda, 25-year-old singer and guitarist for Emzee, Silas and Why We Came West, has opened up a Missoula chapter along with Callie Morris, 25. The shows are held in all-age venues, prioritizing performance over booze. Some of the show proceeds go to various female and LGBTQ-friendly organizations that work to end sexual violence, like Make Your Move Missoula and Missoula Human Trafficking Task Force. Naomi Siegel has also made a conscious effort to bring more diverse music representation to Missoula. Her organization, Lakebottom Sound, nourishes the value of live music in Missoula with concerts, education and improvisational jam sessions. She is committed to having discussions around toxic gender norms in her approach to music education. She said she never books shows that only feature cis men because ”that is the narrative we see everywhere.” The availability of all-age music spaces has been in a state of flux since the shutdown of 18+ venues like Stage 112 and the Palace Lounge, causing a resurgence of house shows and a desire for more DIY spaces. The Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC) will be moving to a new downtown location within the year, opening up possibilities with a larger music space. Liszak said the ZACC is made to be shaped by the people who want to use it. Change is in the hands of people like Liszak, Siegel and Zepeda, who have the connections and power to create inclusive spaces and put on shows. But the majority of bookers in town are still white men and they need to be doing the work, too. Bookers should include their audiences in conversations regarding what they want to see in shows. ”We need to figure this out together.” Zepeda said. “We are only going to be in this battle of the sexes until we can listen to each other.”
TOP:Elizabeth Tallion on Oct. 21 at Ghost Carot Record fest PHOTO DONAL LAKATUA BOTTOM: Daydream celebrates the success of their first live performance at the Girls Rock show at the Top Hat Feb. 17, 2017. PHOTO ISABELLA GRANNIS montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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M U SI C | AL L EARS
Joshua Tree-inspired jams and boisterous indie rock NOELLE HUSER
noelle.huser@umontana.edu
ORG Ō NE
Orgōne brings sunshine and unstoppable groovy beats to our dreary Montana winter. The antidote for gloomy skies and depression is here: you only need to show up with your dancing shoes. The LA-based funk group comes to the Top Hat this Wednesday, returning after an explosive show last January in the Zoo. The band is touring in support of “Reasons,” its new and 10th studio album released Jan. 18. The record’s beats and basslines are constructed to support Adryon de León’s crooning and fiery vocals, demanding movement from crowds, bodies and souls. The group’s music is clearly inspired by the raw soul records of the ‘60s and ‘70s. León’s lead vocals should pull you down to the Top Hat even if funky vibes aren’t your thing. The singer’s found her way into all things soul in LA, singing for numerous soul groups including backup vocals for Macy Gray. Weaving in and out of her commanding vocals, the decade-strong band’s tried-and-true funk promises to deliver. The guitar, bass and percussion mesh together in timeless melodies. A standout song, “We Can Make It,” plays with the album’s conscious soul-healing grooves to match Leon’s iridescent croon. “It’s the give and the take,” León reminds us. “You got strength you can face it,” she sings, waltzing with a French horn. Bop yourself to salvation, she’s saying. Bop to it live. Orgōne started in the ‘90s, but its current line-
T HE DI ST R I CT S
up began playing together in 2000. Since then, eight members have consistently hit the road for tours, though more members join the studio during recording sessions. The songs on this new record demand listeners to call upon that feeling of liberation that hits after huge personal victories. This echoes in the group’s name, which means the “universal life force” or a “cosmic unit of energy.” The album’s lyrical content came out of a week spent in Joshua Tree National Park jamming late into the desert night in a ranch house. A bleakly beautiful desert landscape inspired straightforward funk beats with a twist of summer heat under palm trees with vintage
The Districts bleed spirited sorrow, performing deep-heart surgery with their boisterous rock. Their most recent sound bounds forward with passion, storming straight into Missoula this weekend. The band’s strong cohesiveness is no surprise considering members Rob Grote (vocals and guitar), Connor Jacobus (bass) and Braden Lawrence (drums) have known each other since grade school in Lititz, Pennsylvania. The Districts began playing together in high school in the tri-state area, producing their first full-length album, “Telephone,” in 2013. “Telephone” was innocent with a folky twang, filled with a longing exemplified in hit songs like “Long Distance,” and “Funeral Beds.” The Districts’ next leap was moving from
cadillacs rolling around. The group calls its music “dirty, organic, California soul with heart.” Show up, Missoula, and prove to them that Montana has its own funky grooves running through our hearts. Orgōne returns to the Top Hat Wednesday, Jan. 30, doors at 8:30 p.m.
Lititz to Philadelphia, where famed St. Vincent and Kurt Vile producer, John Congleton, produced the 2015 album, “A Flourish and a Spoil.” This sophomore effort was moody and dark, with a poetic tenderness. For their third full length record, 2017’s “Popular Manipulations,” The Districts were
joined by guitarist Pat Cassidy. The rawness of this album is palpable, half-produced by Congleton and half on their own with the help of Philadelphia engineer Keith Abrams. They pull shoegaze inspiration in their loudest, most charged music yet, but the record’s most gripping quality is its ability to keep the noise from canceling the thought. It’s not just about the grumble of the belly, but finding the source of the ache. “Ordinary Day” is riddled with anxiety, sourced by melancholic descriptors of mundanity. “Covering miles in a broken car. Covered in gold and kicking through the belly ache. An ordinary sunset, an ordinary day,” Grote sings. “Point” is existential, establishing that “the point is beside the point now.” Isolation and memory are present themes that The Districts tackle with grit. “Violet” is possessive, alternatively soft and harsh as Grote sings, “What does not last gets stuck to your throat.” The album emotes through thought processes. “Rattling of the Heart” declares, “If I can get to the root of all this maybe I can live gratefully,” while the album’s final song, “Will You Be Quiet Please?” surrenders to tiredness. “Before I Wake” serves a powerful introduction to the entire experience. Grote admits, “I’m just a narcissist,” before one of the most purgative guitar riffs, full of fear of being alone and hope in loneliness. The song stares all the what ifs of the album in the eye and serenades them. The Districts play Friday, Feb. 1 at 9 p.m. at the Top Hat. Tickets are $15 and the show is all ages. Opening band: Deeper.
TALK IS CHEAP. SO ARE TEXT-ONLY ADS. Contact ads@montanakaimin.com to advertise your band in our special music classifieds. 18
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MUS IC | A LB U M S
Talking to LP about everything except her current album KAILYN MERCER kailyn.mercer@umontana.edu NYC musician LP has worked as a singer/songwriter for more than 20 years, including writing for big name artists like the Backstreet Boys. Lately, she’s been focusing on her own music. On Feb. 2, she’ll be at the Wilma after the release of her fifth studio album, “Heart to Mouth.” We wanted to talk to her about this album because it’s really good, but we ended up just getting to know her, because she is Very Cool. Montana Kaimin: Tell me your favorite part of touring and performing. LP: Fans. People. Seeing the work come full circle. You know, from a little voice memo on my phone that I bring to a session, and then suddenly it’s a smile on someone’s face. MK: Your tour is taking you to cities way bigger than Missoula. What do you think your unique type of music brings to a smaller town? LP: I think we’re pretty universal. I don’t think it will be earth-shattering, but I hope it’ll be a good show. I’ve been to Montana before, and I saw a lot of kids there that looked just like people I knew and hung out with in Williamsburg, NYC. MK: People are calling you a gay icon. How do you feel about that? LP: Wow. Be careful, don’t tell them I’m not gay. I’m joking! I’m definitely worthy as in I’m gay as fuck, but “icon” I’m not sure. Being gay in America is a thing that’s in a constant state of flux. It’s a really interesting time. I’m happy for all the people who are freeing themselves, and it’s really cool to be in that sphere. MK: You have worked with some crazy big artists. Did you ever meet any of them? Spend time with them? LP: I’ve been standing next to such random people. I was going to bed last night, and I remembered being at this party and standing next to Paul McCartney, and him looking at me and smiling. I never thought about it again until last night.
HEART TO MOUTH LP RELEASED OCTOBER 2018
We thought we should at least show you the album that we never talked about.
MK: Are you still writing for other artists? LP: Yeah. I enjoy it. I think it is really valuable as an artist and as a person to really step outside and see what the other folks are doing with their own lives. MK: I think something special about Missoula that’s cool is even if people haven’t heard an artist before or don’t know much about them, they’ll still go check it out. LP: That’s so old school. Back in the day, kids didn’t have the internet so they didn’t know what the hell was going to happen. Can you imagine? Like Led Zeppelin would roll into your town, and you’d just go down there to see what’s going on? That’s fucked up. Awesome. MK: You have super vulnerable songs on your new album. What’s it like performing those songs for crowds? LP: You’ve just got to get into character. When I do those songs I think, “Hmm, maybe I could be an actor.” I could only be an actor if I acted like myself. I definitely just turn a switch, and I’m right there where I was when I wrote it. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Stoned beats and sad lyrics hypnotize on Fish Bwoi’s ‘Space Ghost Fish’ MELISSA LOVERIDGE
melissa.loveridge@umontana.edu
“Space Ghost Fish” by Fish Bwoi feels like listening to an M.F. Doom album upside-down and underwater in the best possible way. The 12-track album, re-released Jan. 18 on Slicehop Cassettes, is another hallmark of Western Montana’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, with low-fi fuzz backing a majority of the songs and wistful lyrics giving shout-outs to Montana. The album just feels good to listen to: looping, almost delirious vocals and beats create what is, sonically, an extremely interesting experience. On first listen, it’s hard to focus on anything but what’s in your headphones. Every track feels carefully crafted. The standout tracks are the dream-like “Woahs Freestyle” and “Back to Space,” which
both feature those aforementioned nostalgic samples. “Back to Space,” the outro track, also features a sample of a phone call, with someone on the other end of the line saying, “I feel like the only appropriate questions to ask you after listening to it is, ‘Are you okay?’” The sample hits the mark. The lyrics on many of the tracks are either heartbreakingly hopeful, or, in the case of the track “Zoo”: “I kinda wanna die.” But in a city that spends its winter months essentially without sunshine, the mix of stoned beats and sad lyrics resonates. Fish Bwoi shines best when he’s solo on a track — his laid-back vocals and samples paired with the floaty synth and drum machines differentiate “Space Ghost Fish” from other regional projects. The deliberate pacing and layers in the back tracks contrast with his casual vocals, but it’s a contrast that works. “Space Ghost Fish” is available on Bandcamp and on cassette at Rockin Rudy’s, Record Heaven, Ear Candy and online from Slicehop Cassettes. montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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January 30-February 5, 2019 montanakaimin.com
CU LT UR E | H OROS COP E S & M E M E S
Get ready for some more Aquarian-made chaos It’s still Aquarius season and that eccentric, air-sign energy is bringing about a season of change for everyone. Make the next viral meme or clean up some part of your life, it’s time to shake things up! Capricorn (December 22 - January 19): Treat yoself, Caps! Whether that means eating a cinnamon roll or reorganizing your sock drawer after the influx of Christmas socks created chaos where there was once order, make sure you do something for you. Aquarius (January 20 - February 18): It’s still Aquarius season, bitches! Feel free to get chaotic. Use your powers for good or evil, things will work out eventually. Pisces (February 19 - March 20): Hi, guys. Get out of your feelings. Like, please, we’re begging you. A person can only be so sad while also being happy, nervous and an attention whore. Aries (March 21 - April 19): This is the week
you make a viral meme. Flex your creative, bitchy muscles and tap into the zeitgeist as you give the world its next “most-liked egg” meme or whatever. Taurus (April 20 - May 20): Be extra polite to people this week. Like, we know that’s not really your strong suit, but your regular barista is one encounter with you away from revolting, and then what? Gemini (May 21 - June 20): Keep a tight hold on your stuff this week. Whether it’s a misplaced wallet or your roommate trying to “borrow” that one sweater, set boundaries and know it’s
OK to defend your turf against stuff-snatchers. Cancer (June 21 - July 22): Be nice to your friend’s girlfriend. You might not approve of her, but you need to be supportive and start treating her like one of the group. Leo (July 23 - August 22): Don’t, for any reason, eat any East Asian cuisine this week. Not Dollar Sushi night, not pad thai, not pho, NOTHING. Indian is OK, though. Virgo (August 23 - September 22): You’ve watched both Fyre Fest documentaries, and you
can’t wait to tell everyone you know aaaaaaaall about how ObViOuSlY fAAAkE it was from the beginning. Be careful though; we wholeheartedly supported your R. Kelly rampage, but this is a little annoying. Libra (September 23 - October 22): You’re going to start a podcast this week. If you weren’t planning to do that already, get to it! Time is running out! Scorpio (October 23 - November 21): Now, four weeks into the semester, is the time to stop avoiding your responsibilities and do your damn homework. We know you already have a good argument against it. But like, just do it, man. Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21): Last week, this horoscope reminded someone else to do their dishes, but my dear sweet Sags, you gotta buck up and do your dishes, too. Put on some music or something. It’ll be over before you know it.
What makes a movie meme-able? Catharsis and nostalgia, and Shrek JOHN HOOKS john.hooks@umontana.edu The first Shrek film came out when I was 6 years old. And, like many of my fellow youths, I watched that damn movie about 100,000 times before I turned 7. My brothers and I tormented our parents with constant, and not exactly culturally sensitive, renditions of Donkey’s best lines. But then, over the course of a decade, Shrek slowly faded out of my life. I watched the sequels, but the jolly green ogre was largely relegated to a fond, nostalgic corner of my psyche. But, sometime in the early 2010s, Shrek stormed back into the popular culture as a titan of meme culture, his ugly chartreuse mug contorted and recontextualized into all manners of absurd internet humor. He wasn’t alone. In due time, Spongebob, the Star Wars prequels and the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man series all joined the ranks of beloved childhood entertainment rebranded as hubs of meme-ery with dedicated online communities.
What is it about these select cultural properties that elicit so much internet dedication years after their release? Why are there Shrek memes but not Madagascar memes? There are no easy answers to this question, but there are shared traits that can form the basis of an explanation. Largely, these movies and shows enjoyed a near-ubiquitous following among kids in the early 2000s, so much so that they entered the collective consciousness of a generation of American kids. There’s also a throughline of carnivalesque absurdity in most of these properties. They’re colorful, loud and absurd in ways we really liked as kids. Revisiting them now, more than a decade later, hardened by years of internet irony, we still connect with the absurdity, just in a different way. In that light, we can understand these meme movies as a kind of cathartic nostalgic exercise, where the collective consciousness of our generation can look back and trade inside jokes on a shared foundation of fond childhood memories and crippling irony.
GRAPHIC JOHN HOOKS montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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A RTS | I NTERV IEW
Life of an artist ‘chewed up and spat out’ by Seattle
EMMA SMITH
emma2.smith@umontana.edu In a dimly-lit basement on the Hip Strip, 41-year-old Indiana native Freedom Drudge sits at a desk. Dozens of colored markers and piles of papers printed with geometric art are splayed across the work space. The Missoula artist shares this studio with a black belt academy. After graduating from high school in Hamilton, Montana, Drudge hung around for fewer than 12 hours before moving to Seattle with $300 in his pocket. He described his 20 years in the Pacific Northwestern city as one of survival. “I was chewed up and spat out,” Drudge said. “It did nothing. I was on buses or at work the whole time. I needed to get away from it.” When Drudge passed through Missoula to hang out with some friends before heading to Bozeman, he decided to stay. Within a week, Drudge said he sealed one art show and got a mural commission. Drudge focuses mostly on illustration with markers and ink. He often starts by either drawing something and finishing it digitally or making art digitally and finishing it with marker. His work
encompasses digital portraits, comics and design. “I use a lot of color,” Drudge said. “I think what inspires me is nonsense. The second I’m doing something and it starts to remind of something else, I lose interest in it. I like making horrific things adorable and adorable things horrific.” His best selling piece of art is a picture of the Incredible Hulk using Wolverine as a back scratcher. Each piece is intricate, layered and colorful. Drudge’s passion for art started at age 5. “I walked into the kitchen where my mom and grandma were painting on plates,” he said. “My mom was painting a Smurf, and my grandma was painting Garfield. I didn’t know that you could go, ‘Here’s this, it exists now,’ and I haven’t stopped since. I walked out of the room and grabbed a crayon and a piece of paper.” Most of the time when Drudge pulls out a piece of paper, he still has no idea what he’s doing. The one common theme with his art is a commitment to originality. “If I’m going to sit down and spend hours and hours on a picture, I want it to be the only time you’re going to see that,” he said. “If I hadn’t have done it, you wouldn’t have seen it.”
PHOTO COLUMN | SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER
Finding light: my annual journey through Seasonal Affective Disorder BY ELI IMADALI The sun’s been out a bit lately, which has been pleasant for me. I’ve soaked up all the extra vitamin D that I could with a few walks, which has supplemented my already daily Costco D₃ supplement of 4,000 international units quite nicely. But the sad truth is that it won’t last. I’m generally a really optimistic person, but even I know that the sun won’t be out for much more than a few days. In no time, we’ll be back to the seemingly endless gray that is winter. Again, though, I’m feeling hopeful. Didn’t I say I was an optimist? I’m hopeful that the intervals between sunny days will progressively shorten. For now, though, these suits on a recent sunny day will satisfy my craving for color and sunlight.
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Since coming to Missoula, Drudge has had many First Friday showings. One of his murals hangs in Clyde Coffee and he created an action figure for the Monster Project at the ZACC. He loves that Missoula embraces art that some consider ridiculous. “It’s incredibly non-judgmental and welcoming,” Drudge said. “All the artists are really cool and I don’t feel like I’m hanging out with my superiors.” Drudge said he feels at home in Missoula. His favorite show is the Monster Project, in which the ZACC brings in 200 kindergarten students to draw monsters and write a short biography about them. Two hundred local artists then adopt the monsters and create their own versions of them. “It’s actually something I found out about when I wasn’t living in Missoula,” Drudge said. “So, when I moved, I just head-hunted it. I swear to you, I will never miss that. If I move to Mars, I will still send a submission in.” In addition to the Monster Project, Drudge opens his studio every First Friday, calling it a “head space.” He hopes to make his studio more interactive with either a card game he’s designed
or live drawings. In the future, Drudge wants to become more self-sustaining. He currently participates primarily in galleries, but wants to shift his focus to comics and story drawing. He’d also like to phase out his day job making pizza in order to create art full time. “It’s the dream,” he said. “I want to be more prominent. I want to get my name out there. So, that’s why I’m focusing on things like a comic.” Drudge has two shows coming up in Seattle this summer. In March, he will be at the Comic Convention, and in June, he will have a slot at the West Seattle Street Fair. “It’s tens of thousands of people. I’ve been there, and it’s a mosh pit for several blocks,” he said. “That’s going to feel really good. I’m really excited about that, to actually hang in Seattle.” This Friday, wander around the Hip Strip and look for “Follow the Art” signs. Drudge has posters and stickers in his studio that you will only be able to purchase then and there. If you ask him, he may just show you his favorite piece of art: the Hulk using Wolverine as a back scratcher.
A RT S | C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G
D E E P B URN BLUE I pull the car over In the angle parking off Main We sit there Together, Rain falling on the sunroof above us I ask you where you see yourself in five years You say married, With two kids, A dog, A backyard across from your mother When you ask me, I say New York, Writing for something, Scraping by, I say that I want the city to break me down So that I am forced to pick up the pieces I say that I really want to feel something And I don’t have to look up To know I need to ease you, I mean that I need to feel something for myself We make out like teenagers Sloppy In the back seat of my car Our shirts and my white bra
S LE EPING WITH ROS ES Blooming calla lilies The last firefly in a sticky Kentucky summer The way you press your palm into my back And lean in When you speak to me
Thrown to the side The cold November air Seeps through glass, Foggy windows and
This is a collage of moments And time in between seems impossible
Breathless, I press my nipples to your chest Hard, They drag across your skin Warm in this cold car
The clock is always ten minutes slow We have missed the train but Sit together in the station You tuck my hair back behind my ear And say something about the little Flowers that grow on vines But not the thorns
It’s fickle, These taboo moments Hidden in this city The rain reflects downtown lights: The little bulbs Strung through trees At trendy cafes And neon signs at the parking garage You know I like the colors on the streets In the rain. There’s no future Where we are together We both know that it’s true But here, in this car, In the angle parking off Main, Neither of us needs to say it
–ERIN S A RG E NT
I am saying my prayers And speaking to ghosts I have laid my body down before God and still Begged that you were the one to forgive me I am becoming A garden Of mourning glories You have made the ground around us Turn to eggshells You have asked me to lay down next to you And shatter I am not in possession of this body anymore And this body is not a body anymore But rather a collection Of times that you have crashed into me We have collided And we are orbiting And I can’t reach you anymore But I want so badly to touch you again.
– E R I N SA RGE N T
Have short fiction, nonfiction or poetry you want the world to read? Yeah you do! Send your creative writing to us at kailynmercer@gmailcom. Submissions must be 700-800 words max. montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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Week of 1/28/19 - 2/3/19 The Weekly Crossword
FO OD | R ECIP ES
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After my sister was diagnosed with celiac disease, she mentioned (read: whined) that one of the things she missed most was a warm, gooey chocolate lava cake. Since then, I’ve been working on perfecting my gluten-free version of this classic dessert. This recipe can work with any 1:1 gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, Krusteaz Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Mix, or Pillsbury Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour Blend. If you absolutely insist on including that sweet, sweet gluten in this recipe, just sub in any all-purpose flour you have lying around. Ingredients: • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter • 3 whole eggs • 3 egg yolks • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar • 1/2 cup gluten-free flour • Extra powdered sugar, fresh fruit and caramel sauce to garnish (optional)
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Steps: 1. Heat oven to 450°F. Grease bottoms and sides of 4 custard cups. Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to keep a smooth consistency. Cool the chocolate mixture slightly. 2. In a large bowl, beat whole eggs and yolks until smooth and frothy. Beat in 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Mix in the warm melted chocolate mixture until smooth, then add flour. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups, then place the cups on a cookie sheet. 3. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until sides are set and centers are still soft and puffy. Let stand for 3 minutes. Run a small knife or metal spatula along sides of cakes to loosen. Immediately place a serving plate upside down over each cup. Turn plate and cup over, removing the cup. Sprinkle with the additional powdered sugar. Garnish with fresh fruit and drizzle with caramel. Serve warm. Contributed by Lindsey Sewell
Want us to feature your student-friendly recipe? Email editor@montanakaimin. com
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ACROSS 1 In need of a map 5 Bank heist, e.g. 10 Wished, as a farewell 14 Feedbag fill 15 Way past plump 16 Responsibility 17 Teachers at the prom, perhaps 19 Revival setting 20 Airline's home base 21 French art group 22 Showy strut 24 Hang back 26 Happen upon 28 Pricey wheels, slangily 31 Street-smart 32 Highest point 33 Bite off too much 35 Pipe material 38 Snack bar? 40 Military bigwig 42 Work on a tan 43 "Always on My Mind" singer 45 Way to pay 46 Copycat 47 Like some birthday parties 49 Some three-digit numbers 53 Before, in verse 54 Type of owl 55 Gyro holder 57 Harbor vessel 60 Out of control 61 Kirk's ship 64 Potatoes, maybe 65 Lord's subject 66 Doomsayer's sign 67 Listen to
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A chocolate lava cake so good, you won’t even miss the gluten
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by Margie E. Burke 9
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Copyright 2019 by The Puzzle Syndicate
68 Shopping binge 69 "___ #1!" DOWN 1 Ness, for one 2 Pearl City locale 3 Ranch worker 4 Cooking meas. 5 Elizabeth McGovern's character on "Downton Abbey" 6 Home 7 Sinner's punishment 8 Opposite of WNW 9 Defendant in a lawsuit 10 Horticulturist's study 11 About, old-style 12 Conical-cap wearer 13 Fragrant compound 18 Perimeter
23 Talk a blue streak 25 Congregation's cry 27 Freight 28 Overhead items 29 Shade of beige 30 Example-setters 34 Bona fide 35 8 to 11, on TV 36 Flower holder 37 Outfitted 39 Chilling, say 41 ___ and anon 44 Royal's staff 46 Like a cheater's deck 48 Run-down car 49 Put to shame 50 Textile fiber 51 Lose ground 52 Military blockade 56 Nursery purchase 58 Kind of ID 59 Actor Wilder 62 Quick drink 63 Theater section
Answers to Last Week’s Crossword: M A M M A
O C E A N
O R A T E
T E L E M E B E S T A C N E S H O R S O W B R A L O E C O U C M A N T E N D O
Y O Y O T B A H A W
S C U D E A S E T R E S T R I G N E E L I N W R E S H A R C U T A S E L S H I T H A N U R G S E E H A R
P R E T E R I T E K E
B A W L E T H I E R I C I T E O P E R H O R I E V N A A A T T L N E E R A T W I L E O L D R O D S T Y
S C A M G E N E E S S E X
FO O D | LOC A L R E V I E WS
Missoula chows down Middle Eastern munchies at Soft Landing’s Supper Club
Getting drunk for nature
LILY SOPER
lillian.soper@umontana.edu
WHAT WE’RE DRINKING Sierra Nevada’s Resilience Butte Country IPA. Some guy at Orange Street Food Farm told us it was the newest in stock, and we like to keep it fresh.
WHY WE’RE DRINKING:
Iraqi Chicken Biryani PHOTO DANIEL DUENSING
EMMA SMITH
WHERE WE’RE DRINKING
emma2.smith@umontana.edu A local organization created to help refugees transition to American life treated Montanans to an Iraqi-style feast Sunday evening. Soft Landing’s monthly Supper Club served diners looking for a taste of something a little different with a night of culture, food and friendly conversation at local restaurant Masala. Supper Club is a monthly event thrown by Soft Landing in which a refugee chef is paired with a local restaurant to provide a cultural meal to the community. January’s chefs were Iraqi immigrants Zena Omar and her brother Ammar who prepared a tantalizing selection of Iraqi cuisine. The environment hummed the moment the food arrived. The wine was poured, with laughter and smiles, as diners shared this unique experience. The menu was mouth-watering. The appetizer included fatayer, a type of meat pie served with spinach and a yogurt tzatziki sauce. The main course followed with fattoush (a chopped salad with flatbread croutons and a light, lemony dressing) and Iraqi-style chicken biryani with spiced rice, potato, carrot, green peas, raisins and almonds. For dessert, warbat bil kiskta, a sweet cream filled pastry. You’d be hard-pressed to find a sweeter dish. Despite the crunchy coating of pistachios, each bite is surprisingly smooth and buttery.
For humanity, bitch. One hundred percent of the proceeds from Resilience go towards fighting the Camp Fire. We couldn’t exactly go with a bottle of wine after the guy at Orange Street brought it up, now could we?
According to Soft Landing director Mary Poole, the organization’s mission is to “help Missoula be a welcoming, supportive, and informed community that can assist refugees to integrate and thrive.” Food can bring together even those with the most varied backgrounds can find something to relate to. “Refugees want to give back,” Poole said. “We all eat, so use food as a cultural bridge.” After coming to Missoula a year and a half ago, Omar and her brother have opened a food truck outside Imagination Brewing. The siblings also own Kamoon Cuisine. Haley Court, the front house manager at Masala, believes Missoula is richer when people bring their own experiences to the table. “It’s so nice to incorporate these people into our kitchen,” Court said. “We have a lot of sports bars, and it’s nice to bring some diversity into Missoula.” As dinner finished, satisfied customers approached the brother and sister pair. Many compliments were shared, and one customer even reached over the glass barrier and embraced Ammar’s hand while saying, “Thank you so much.” But don’t fret if you missed out on this month’s event. Supper Club returns in February. Stay hungry.
ately?) smokey and robust. Dark enough to qualify as a meal in terms of carbohydrates, but with the hops-y IPA kick we’ve come to know and love here in our college town. We’re not typically fond of Sierra Nevada, but the second beer was definitely better than the first, and that is absolutely not because it has a 6.7% ABV and we’re low-key drunk already. The second beer gives us the inspiration to cook the scallops that’ve been stinking up our fridge for three days, but if we drink a third we’ll probably pass out mid-sauté and burn the house down.
Home. Bars are expensive and, usually, Week of 1/28/19 - 2/3/19 smelly. Also, pants are required at (most) bars ALL-IN-ALL: around town. Also, no bars air “The View” Is this the best beer we’ve ever had? (unless they do in which case please tell me). Maybe not. But it gets the job done and HOW’S IT TASTE? how else are we going to justify our drinkIt’s appropriately (or maybe inappropri- ing habit other than through charity?
SUDOKU
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty: Medium
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HOW TO SOLVE:
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2 3 7 5 6 2 5 8 7 1 7 6 1 9 Copyright 2019 by The Puzzle Syndicate
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Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Answers to Last Week’s Sudoku:
4 7 3 1 9 2 8 5 6
9 6 8 3 7 5 4 2 1
1 2 5 4 6 8 3 9 7
8 4 6 7 5 3 2 1 9
3 9 7 6 2 1 5 8 4
5 1 2 9 8 4 6 7 3
6 8 1 5 3 9 7 4 2
2 3 9 8 4 7 1 6 5
7 5 4 2 1 6 9 3 8
montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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ST Y LE | C UTE 4 CHEAP
Broke fashionistas: Mondays at Goodwill deliver $1 finds ERIN SARGENT erin.sargent@umontana.edu I don’t go to Goodwill a lot. Like all self-respecting Missoulians, I try to avoid Reserve Street at all costs. But, if someone offers me a deal, I answer the call. This is why I can’t believe I missed the memo about Goodwill’s $1 Mondays. I’m a broke college student who loves fashion. So when I finally got caught up, I set a mission for myself. Get in, spend less than $10 on one cohesive outfit, and get out in under an hour. And so, I found myself walking into Goodwill on Monday with nothing but 10 singles and a can-do attitude. Here’s how it works: Everything in the store is labeled with a different colored tag, and each Monday a different set of tags will be priced at $1. I like to think the rotation makes it more competitive. I defined an outfit as pants, shirt, jacket, shoes and some kind of accessory. If you’re a math major, you might be questioning why I brought in double the amount of single dollar bills that I would need for a true “dollar outfit.” This is because I don’t trust myself. Sure enough, the whole pants situation called for three more dollars. I also cheated on the shoes. Listen, if you’re about to offer me a Converse/Dansko elementary-teacher-meets-urban-hipster pair of shoes, yes, I will spend $18 on them. Everything else was pretty easy. I saw a green Oregon State volleyball t-shirt. I don’t know what to say except that it called to me. Pair that with a blue and white windbreaker, and suddenly I looked a lot more like the people I see at house shows around here. The total bill (sans Danskos) came to $7.50, thanks to that sweet, sweet student discount. I rounded up and donated 50 cents to Goodwill for dealing with me. Time elapsed? 51 minutes. Goodwill fashion? Priceless.
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TOP: Kaimin reporter Erin Sargent finds a stylish top with a $1 tag. BOTTOM: The final outfit, purchased for $7.50. The shoes, though, were $18 with no $1 tag. PHOTOS ELI IMADALI
C ULT UR E | P H OTO E SS AY
What can improve? Hearing from minority students about diversity at UM Martin Luther King Jr. stood for equality and justice. He helped lead the civil rights movement toward achieving an equal future for people of color in America. Today, his message extends to many marginalized groups: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The Kaimin took the week following MLK Day to ask students of color what they think about diversity and discrimination at UM. We asked them what needs improvement and what UM gets right. You can view the full collection of portraits online at montanakaimin.com.
P HOTOS BY E L I I MA DA L I
T Y HE E D ST E P HE NS
JO R DYNN PAZ
“One of the things I liked [on campus] was participating in the family culture night at the Payne Family Native American Center a few months ago. I thought that was really, really awesome. Just showing culture from, you know, people of color, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, African-American culture and displaying that to the community. I thought that was a very good event and I would actually advocate for more of those.”
“I think we tend to stick to the groups that we know, which tends to be each other, and I think that just sets us apart from the rest of campus. Then, it puts the rest of campus at a disadvantage, because how can you have a proper education without a diverse education? And you can’t get a diverse education if you don’t talk to diverse people.”
OYATU L LOH I MAD UD
“I’ve been here for, like, eight years now, so there were a couple of instances [on campus]. Things like—I usually don’t curse—but they were like, ‘Fucking Muslim! Go back to your own country. Blow up your own camels.’ First of all, we don’t have camels back in Tajikistan. Second of all, if I did have a camel, why would I blow it up? I would put it to good use. Isn’t that true? And then we have this place [the IMSA house], of course, the place where we pray. We’re really blessed that we have this spot. The University provides this. This is basically a place where people can come and get educated about Islam.” University of Montana students Hamidou Sankara and Oyatullohi Madud pray at the International Muslim Student Association house on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2018. montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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S PORTS | TOP IC
Goligoski’s injury is one of many for the Lady Griz HENRY CHISHOLM henry.chisholm@umontana.edu The Lady Griz didn’t have an answer for Savannah Smith early. In the first quarter of a Saturday afternoon contest, the reigning Big Sky Conference MVP outscored the entire Montana roster, and Northern Colorado Bears built an 11-point lead. After the buzzer, redshirt junior guard Taylor Goligoski found Lady Griz head coach Shannon Schweyen. “I can guard her,” Goligoski told her coach. “I’m good to go. I want to guard her.” “Ok, go for it,” Schweyen answered. The plan was always to put Goligoski, the team’s ace on-ball defender, on Northern Colorado’s sharpshooting star. But on the Monday before that game, while driving to the hoop during practice, Goligoski stopped hard and tried to turn away from her defender. Her leg twisted and she fell. She felt a sharp pain in her knee and tried to play through it, but eventually had to pull herself out of practice so she could talk to the team’s trainers. An MRI the next day showed a sprained ACL, a bone bruise and a small crack in the cartilage near her knee called an osteochondral fissure. The doctors were most concerned with Goligoski’s ACL. That confused her. Her ACL wasn’t what hurt. She sat out the rest of the week’s practices, as well as Montana’s loss to Eastern Washington on Thursday, but doctors told Goligoski she could try to play against Northern Colorado, if her knee felt up to it. When she rotated it to
Freshman guard Sophia Stiles is helped off the court after tearing her ACL during the second half of the Lady Griz 53-51 victory against North Dakota in Dahlberg Arena on Feb. 3, 2018. PHOTO SARA DIGGINS a certain angle, which happened to be right above the fissure, she could tell something was wrong. “Obviously, being an athlete and a competitor, you want to play,” Goligoski said. “Somebody tells you you can play, you want to go out there and do it.” So she told her coach she was good to go.
In the second quarter, Goligoski cut Smith’s scoring from 15 points to three, while holding her to just three shots. Smith only managed three points in the third quarter as well. But as time wound down in the third, Goligoski closed out on Smith at the 3-point line and stopped hard, again. This time the cracked piece of cartilage, about the size of a dime,
fell off the bone. It hurt. She couldn’t put any weight on her leg. She ran down the court anyway, hoping the pain would go away, but she knew it probably wouldn’t because of the pop she felt. “When she looked over and said ‘I need a sub,’ that’s when I thought, ‘Oh, this is serious,’” Schweyen said.
W EE KLY STATS ROUND UPS L A DY G R IZ : 34 I DA H O STAT E : 50
L ADY G RIZ
The Lady Griz held close in the first half, but couldn’t pick up their offense in Points 10 Fatkin crunchtime, leading to lopsided score in a low-scoring Rebounds 9 Stockholm contest. Montana only made 3-of-21 3-point Assists 3 Johnston attempts and two of them came on four tries from Sammy Fatkin. STAT LEADERS
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January 30-February 5, 2019 montanakaimin.com
IDA HO STATE: 69 GR IZ: 80
L ADY GR IZ: 72 WEBER STATE: 6 0
Part of the reason for Montana’s rebound win over Weber State was Points 18 Harrington improved deep-shooting. The Lady Griz made Rebounds 13 Henderson 9-of-20 3-point attempts. The win moved the Lady Assists 7 Henderson Griz into fifth in the Big Sky, tying Montana State, who they will square off against in Bozeman on Saturday. STAT LEADERS
STAT LEADERS Points
22
Akoh
Rebounds 17
Akoh
Assists
Rorie
9
G R IZ
Forward Jamar Akoh notched his third double-double of conference play, and point guard Ahmaad Rorie nearly matched him with 19 points and nine assists. Montana never trailed, extending its winning streak over Idaho State to 16 straight games.
W EBER STATE: 68 G R I Z: 75 STAT LEADERS
Points
25
Rebounds 10 Assists
3
Akoh Akoh Rorie, Pridgett
Jamar Akoh put together his second huge game of the week, as Montana knocked off the topranked Wildcats. The Griz led by as much as 32-10, following a 20-point run, but Weber State worked its way back into the game, giving Montana a scare near the end.
S PO RT S | COLU M N A few days later, doctors told Goligoski she needed surgery to fix an osteochondral lesion — the technical term for knocking off the cartilage. The specialist in Seattle who performs the surgery told her she should be back to full strength sometime between August and October. Goligoski is just the most recent victim of a rash of injuries that have left the Lady Griz extremely thin. The lack of depth on the bench is putting pressure on UM’s starters to carry a massive burden. In two games this weekend — a 50-34 loss to Idaho State and a 72-60 win over Weber State — the Lady Griz’s starters averaged nearly 35 minutes a piece per game. In the two games combined, bench players only scored eight total points on 4-for-17 shooting. Freshman Katie Mayhue battled an ankle injury. Starting point guard McKenzie Johnston is playing through a rebroken nose. After four weeks in a protective mask, she may be allowed to play without it in this weekend’s matchup with Montana State, according to Schweyen. But the killers for UM are the season-ending injuries, like Goligoski’s. The first of the Lady Griz to be ruled out this year was Madi Schoening. The junior guard is redshirting this season because of an avulsion fracture in her foot. The injury occurred in practice in September, but she aggravated it after the first game of the season. She tried to rehab but the pain lingered, so she had surgery to fuse the bones together. Now, she says her role is to be the “loudest cheerleader on the bench.” While Schoening was the first to be ruled out, sophomore Sophia Stiles has ridden the bench the longest. She’s recovered from the torn ACL she suffered a year ago, but it took longer than she’d hoped. Stiles planned on taking the first five games of the season off before reevaluating whether she could play. But it took until halfway through the season for Stiles to feel comfortable. She used an exhibition game against Montana Tech in late December to gauge her progress. She felt fine on the court but decided that it wasn’t worth burning a year of eligibility to play half a season, so she kept her spot at the far end of the bench. “Whenever anyone’s sitting next to me, if they’re just a little injured, like a sprained ankle, I’m like, ‘Don’t get too comfortable down here,’” Stiles said. “But then Taylor did.”
‘Who cares? It’s women’s hoops’ HENRY CHISHOLM
henry.chisholm@umontana.edu Saturday afternoon, prior to the Lady Griz’s 72-60 win over Weber State, Montana took the court in its usual graphite gray road uniforms. Rather than wearing home whites, Weber opted to don light gray alternates. It was a mess, and I tweeted my concern. Most of the repliers to my tweet agreed; the jerseys were too similar in color to easily distinguish who was who. A few dissented. One reply, from a Gen Xer in New Jersey, said, “Who cares it’s women’s hoops.” At this point, takes like his are just tiring. It used to be fun to watch tweets like that get ratioed back into their ugly corner of the internet. It was a real-world “marketplace of ideas” experiment, where the rational majority shouted down the misogynists. But the market’s gone stale. The creativity disappeared. Now the responses are lazy random-caps SpongeBob memes and “White Guy Blinking” gifs. But our middle-aged friend asked who cares, so I’ll tell him. Missoula cares. Forget that Lady Griz basketball is a dynasty. Dusty rings don’t put butts in seats, even if you’ve septupled your conference’s second-most prolific program with 21 championships in 39 years. The Lady Griz triple the average home attendance of their Big Sky Conference rivals. Only two of the conference’s 11 men’s teams have superior numbers to Montana’s women this year. Who knows what the stats would look like if the Lady Griz had played all of their home games this season at 7 p.m., like the men, instead of hosting seven matinees. Maybe you didn’t watch the last time the Lady Griz played in Missoula, but the game was worthy of a primetime slot. Idaho’s Tay-
lor Pierce drained a 3-pointer — her eighth of the day — from a half-step in front of the center court logo to pull within one possession, with only 30 seconds on the clock. But her effort wasn’t enough to overcome Jace Henderson’s 31 points, which came almost exclusively from the paint thanks to post footwork that would move Michael Jackson to tears. But, yeah. If you’re the type of basketball fan who only tunes into TNT when the Warriors play whomever we’re currently pretending is even half as good as them at the time, and you only look up from your phone to catch the replay of a dunk when Marv Albert yells his signature, “Oh! A facial!” and you only even do that so you can say you’ve already seen it when your roommate sends the clip to your Twitter group, then maybe women’s basketball isn’t for you. That’s fine. But if you don’t believe the only play deserving of your time is a dunk, maybe it’s time to check out the half of the sport you’ve missed out on. montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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January 30-February 5, 2019 montanakaimin.com
S PO RT S | P ROF I LE
The Griz G.O.A.T: Anchor returns ferociously from early season injury
Jamar Akoh, the Grizzlies 6-foot-8 forward and defensive anchor, sits in front of his apartment on Jan. 26 2019. PHOTO DANIEL DUENSING
LJ DAWSON laura.dawson@umontana.edu In the last minute of a closed-door preseason scrimmage, the cornerstone of the Griz basketball team fell backward and stuck his hand out to catch himself. Jamar Akoh, who weighs over 250 pounds, landed with all his weight on the wrist of his shooting arm. The adrenaline helped him play through the pain, but on the bus ride back to Montana he rolled his hand around, testing his wrist out. Akoh’s position, forward, requires him to battle with the opposing team’s biggest, strongest players for the basketball un-
der the hoop on every possession. But this wasn’t a normal bruise or sore spot. It didn’t feel right. It hurt worse than normal. Akoh leaned forward to whisper to his teammate, senior guard Michael Oguine, who sat in front of him on the bus. “It may be bad,” he said. Akoh went on to miss nine total games with a torn tendon and ligament in his wrist. He returned for the team’s win against North Dakota State but missed the next game against Arizona. He permanently returned on Dec. 22, but Akoh says he’s not fully recovered. Akoh averages almost 17 points and more than nine rebounds a game this sea-
son. He returned to consistent play over a month ago, but his wrist still needs therapy. Despite his injury, he posted 25 points and 10 rebounds against Weber State on Saturday. “He’s really a monster,” Oguine said. “No one can stop him, especially in our conference.” Friends and teammates refer to Akoh’s size often – he’s the “unstoppable force and immovable object” and a “thicc guard.” But, they most often refer to him as the G.O.A.T, or greatest of all time, a title earned for his caring and reliable attitude. “When he cares about you, he’s going to do everything he can to make sure you’re
good,” Oguine said. But Akoh’s wrist wasn’t good. The Grizzlies’ G.O.A.T was sidelined. He wielded a soft cast on his shooting wrist. It hurt to open doors and take showers. He was left to figure out how to remold his leadership role on the bench and off the court while recovering and being badgered by everyone who saw him on his wrist’s healing status. “He brought energy from the sidelines while he was out, which, when we got him back again, wasn’t the drastic change for us, on the negative, you can get sometimes when guys are out. I think it’s been more positive,” head coach Travis DeCuire said. Akoh’s season has been a grind, but grinding doesn’t scare Akoh. Weeks of traveling to road games made rehab difficult. He spent his weeks off the court, wrist immobilized in a splint that made his arm a gangly, flapping wing when he ran, working on the side of practices with his trainer. “[My teammates] were looking over there like ‘What is this guy doing?’” Akoh said. Akoh transferred to the Griz from Cal State Fullerton and redshirted the 2016-2017 season. After a successful redshirt junior year, he tried hard this summer to condition himself for his last season. Over the final weeks of his recovery, what worried Akoh most was the loss of the hard-earned fitness from preseason work. “When guys can see him on the sidelines doing sit ups and slides and sprints, staying physically involved knowing he’s done everything he could to get back, I think they had a lot of confidence in him and his return,” DeCuire said. Akoh’s high-flying offensive stats compliment his defensive prowess. In last Saturday’s game, he powered through defenders to propel the team to its win. On defense, Akoh stole the ball two seperate times from stunned players and pulled down 10 rebounds. A few months ago, Akoh couldn’t even dribble a ball or shoot because of his injury. “We’re just a better team with him,” Oguine said. Read the full length version of this story in the sports section on montanakaimin.com montanakaimin.com January 30-February 5, 2019
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SP ORTS | G ALLERY
Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball knocks off top Big Sky team The University of Montana menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball team had two big wins last week, the first on Thursday, Jan. 24, against the Idaho State University Bengals (80-69). The second Griz game was against the Weber State University Wildcats (75-68) on Saturday, Jan. 26. The victory over the Wildcats launched the Griz up to a No. 2 ranking in the Big Sky Conference and dropped the Wildcats down from No. 1 to No. 3. Now, the Griz get a week of rest before heading to Bozeman for the first of two Cat-Griz rivalry games Saturday, Feb. 1.
RIGHT: University of Montana redshirt senior guard Ahmaad Rorie dunks the ball during a counter-attack late in the game on Jan. 26, 2019. The Griz beat the Wildcats 75-68 at home in Dahlberg Arena. PHOTO HUNTER WIGGINS
Ben Brodhead, second from left, Alibi August, and Maggie Volk, hold images of Ahmaad Rorie and Sayeed Pridgett while watching the game from the student section. PHOTO SARA DIGGINS
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January 30-February 5, 2019 montanakaimin.com
University of Montana redshirt senior guard Ahmaad Rorie waits to pass the ball into play late in the second half. PHOTO SARA DIGGINS